MICHAEL ROGERS - 16 yo - (2010) Etowah (S of Asheville) NC

msr22010 wrote:The case against Scott Fisher in the death of Michael Rogers has now been coninued until the 24th of Oct.2011 This is not a trail date,but court date...will keep everyone updated

Thank you for the update msr.

mermaid55 wrote:

msr22010 wrote:The case against Scott Fisher in the death of Michael Rogers has now been coninued until the 24th of Oct.2011 This is not a trail date,but court date...will keep everyone updated

Thank you for the update msr.

got call from ada court date now Feb 27th 2012 @ hendersonville county courthouse

Michael's mother posted the on facebook tonight (name = Justice for Michael Scott Rogers) that the Michael Rogers case has now been turned over the the State Bureau of Investigation and will be investigated as a homicide. The "official" autopsy was released Monday after the completion of a toxicology report which showed that Rogers had a blood alcohol level of 0.15, which is almost double the legal limit of .08, and some level of sertraline or zoloft.
This is an amazing site and I think you are the reason this case is finally making some progress!! Thank you!

This is an amazing site and I think you are the reason this case is finally making some progress!! Thank you!

The thanks go to a group of people who are most caring and giving of their free time to help research and post articles about this case and literally hundreds and hundreds of others. Friends, we are making difference and our core values and mission are being recognized more and more everyday.

I wrote several letters, including to the governor, local officials and Roy Cooper.

Now we wait.

the trial starts today in henderson county at 930 am prays are needed thank you

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120515/NEWS/120519851/1008/sports?Title=Victim-s-mother-takes-the-stand-in-involuntary-manslaughter-trial
you can find the lates updates here

leo9854 wrote:http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120515/NEWS/120519851/1008/sports?Title=Victim-s-mother-takes-the-stand-in-involuntary-manslaughter-trial
you can find the lates updates here

Thanks leo Feel free to post the updates when you see them. make sure you add the link to the article at the bottom of your post.

Here is the text of the article linked above since they disappear after time:

Victim's mother takes the stand in involuntary manslaughter trial

By John Harbin
Times-News Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 12:02 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 12:02 p.m.

Michael Rogers' mother sobbed Tuesday as she testified about the last time she spoke to her 16-year-old son before he was found dead in a field two years ago.

In the first day of testimony, Barbara Leonard took the stand at the trial of Scott Allen Fisher, 21, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Scott Rogers.

Rogers, of Transylvania County, was found dead off Grove Bridge Road in Henderson County in February 2010. An autopsy showed he suffered from hypothermia and multiple blunt-forced trauma injuries to his scalp, face, chest, back, arms and legs.

Fisher was arrested in January 2011 following his indictment on the involuntary manslaughter charge in Henderson County.

Leonard testified that her son had gone to stay with her father on Feb. 20, 2010, and she received a phone call from Rogers at 11:50 p.m. asking to speak to his stepfather. Rogers said he needed someone to come and get him.

"After the first call, what did you do?" Assistant District Attorney Doug Mundy asked.

"I handed the phone to my husband, Robbie," she said. "We set up a meeting place to pick him up, and I called 911."

Leonard said she asked sheriff's deputies to meet her and her husband at a church on King Road, where they were supposed to pick up Rogers.

"What did you do while you were at the church?" Mundy asked.

"We sat there until 3:15 a.m., then we went home and I prayed," she said. "We got a call at 5:30 a.m. from the authorities, and they said they needed some of Michael's items for the search. We went out to where they were searching and stayed out there until they found him in the pig field."

During his cross-examination, defense attorney Mack McKeller asked about Rogers' drug use.

"You knew Michael was intoxicated when he called you, didn't you?" he asked.

"I didn't know if he was intoxicated," she said. "I told dispatchers that he wasn't talking right."

"Hadn't Mr. Rogers been recently asked to leave school the prior week for oxycodone possession?" McKeller asked.

"Yes," Leonard said.

"Was he prescribed oxycodone?" he asked.

"No," she said.

McKeller also talked about a lawsuit Leonard has pending in Transylvania County naming several people, including Fisher and the Transylvania County Department of Social Services, as negligent in her son's death.

"You believe many of those agencies failed to perform acts that could have saved your son?" McKeller asked.

"Possibly," she said.

The prosecution's second witness, Robert Leonard, told jurors he heard his step-son over the phone telling people to leave him alone as he called for help.

"We got a the phone call at about 10:52 p.m.; it was Michael," Robert Leonard testified. "He said he needed someone to come and get him, but he couldn't tell me where he was. I told him to put someone on the phone who could tell me."

Robert Leonard testified that as a result of that conversation, he and his wife went to a church on King Road.

During McKeller's cross-examination, he asked when Robert Leonard became concerned.

"I was concerned because when Michael was on the phone, I heard him say, ‘Leave me the expletive alone,'" Leonard answered.

The prosecution's third witness, Transylvania County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chris Hawkins, testified about seeing blood at a home where a reported party had taken place earlier that night on Feb. 20, 2010.

"I met with Mr. Rogers' mother, step-father and father," he said. "We searched the area and didn't find anyone at the church. We (authorities) had reason to believe Mr. Rogers had been at a party, so I searched the surrounding neighborhood for any parties."

Hawkins said that while he was still at the church, a car drove by and family members thought Rogers was inside. Hawkins stopped the vehicle, but Rogers was not there. The driver told Hawkins she had come from a party and led police back to the house.

"What did you find at the residence?" Mundy asked.

"When other officers arrived and we spoke to the homeowner on the phone, we entered the home to ensure no one was inside that needed medical attention," Hawkins said. "Inside we found a towel with what appeared to be blood on it."

Hawkins also told the jury about the site where Rogers' body was discovered.

Testimony will continue Wednesday morning.


http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120515/NEWS/120519851/1008/sports?Title=Victim-s-mother-takes-the-stand-in-involuntary-manslaughter-trial

http://www.transylvaniatimes.com/story/2012/05/17/news/drinking-fighting-preceded-rogerss-death/9137.html
this is a great story of day one although it cost still the next issue comes out then the story will be free on the site.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=458940060799324&set=a.196751463684853.57071.181617191864947&type=1&theater

http://www.wlos.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wlos_index.shtml


http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120517/ARTICLES/120519777/0/news

sorry about all the links tried to space them out we are wore out from all this.

The fate of a man charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a teen found in a field two years ago is now in the hands of a jury.

Closing arguments wrapped up Thursday afternoon in the trial of Scott Fisher, who testified earlier in the day that he had fought with the victim, Michael Rogers, at a party before he died, but that Rogers seemed OK when Fisher and his friends dropped Rogers off at a boat ramp.

Fisher also said Rogers, 16, was “intoxicated” and “being very wild” at the party Fisher hosted at his parents’ house the night of Feb. 20, 2010.

Fisher said things calmed down after the fight and that he and his friends were giving Rogers a ride to Rosman when Rogers asked to get out of the car at the boat ramp.

Police found Rogers’ body at about 5:30 a.m. in a pig field off of Grove Bridge Road. An autopsy showed that the 16-year-old died from hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Fisher, now 21, was arrested and charged in January 2011.

During closing arguments in Henderson County Superior Court, defense attorney Mack McKeller said prosecutors didn’t show any evidence linking Fisher to Rogers’ death in the field where he was found.

Assistant District Attorney Doug Mundy told jurors that witnesses testified that Fisher told them he took Rogers out in the middle of nowhere to beat him up.

Fisher testifies

Thursday afternoon, Fisher told the court that he threw a party at his parents’ house on Feb. 20, 2010 and that there was alcohol and marijuana. Fisher said his parents were out of town when about 10 people arrived at the house, including Rogers.

This was the first time Fisher met Rogers, and the defendant said the newcomer “was very intoxicated.” A toxicology report from Rogers’ autopsy showed the teen had a blood alcohol level of 0.15, which is almost double the legal limit of .08.

“He was being very wild, showing out, running around and getting into people’s faces,” Fisher said.

Fisher, who said he had about 10 shots of vodka and smoked marijuana that night, said Rogers was hitting on the girls at the party. He approached Rogers and “asked him to calm down a little bit.”

Shortly after that, Rogers started a fight with one of the party-goers and Fisher said he broke it up. Fisher told the jury he helped clean blood off of Rogers’ lip and nose and asked him to sleep it off.

About 20 minutes later, Rogers came into the kitchen where people were taking shots of alcohol and said he called the police, according to Fisher.

Fisher said he got upset because he was on probation for felony marijuana possession, and drinking underage would be a violation.

That’s when Rogers spit in Fisher’s face and a fight ensued, Fisher said. He knocked Rogers to the ground and punched him in the face about three times.

After the fight, Fisher said he wanted to end the party, so he went outside, where Fisher said Rogers tried to cause another altercation. Rogers took off his shirt and started beating his chest, Fisher said.

Things calmed down a bit and Fisher offered Rogers a ride to Rosman. The two of them, another male and two girls got into a Volkswagen and headed to the town. That was when Rogers got unruly again, Fisher testified. Rogers was in the backseat and Fisher was sitting in front of him in the passenger seat.

“He freaked out again and started beating me in the back of the head,” Fisher said.

Rogers wanted to get out of the car, so the group dropped him off at the boat ramp near King Road and U.S. 64.

It was a cool night, he said, and there was plenty of lighting in the area. There were no further altercations after that, Fisher added. They left Rogers there and drove to a friend’s house and continued to party.

Rogers was reported missing that night at about 11, according to authorities.

Deputies searched for the teen throughout that night. The search led investigators to the area of Pleasant Grove and Grove Bridge roads because that’s where Fisher indicated they had dropped off Rogers.

Closing arguments

In his closing arguments, McKeller told the jury that this is a sad case.

“It’s sad anytime when children get off track and spend too much time partying,” he said. “When Michael Rogers arrived at Fisher’s party, he was very inebriated and wanted to fight. We have an aggressive young man who is drunk and acting out.

“After they fought, Mr. Fisher took him back inside his house and cleaned him up and took him into a bedroom to sleep it off. About 20 minutes later Rogers comes back out and tell everyone he has called the police.”

McKeller told the jury that his client drove Fisher to a location, while he was being combative in the vehicle, and let him out of the car.

“He was left there,” McKeller said. “Mr. Rogers was dropped off at about 11:30 p.m. There is some question about what happened that caused Mr. Rogers
to go from the boat ramp under the bridge where Mr. Fisher dropped him off and how he got to the field here he was found.

“The sole cause of Mr. Rogers’ death was hypothermia. ... and the injuries he sustained weren’t enough to cause his death. We still haven’t figured out the act the state is saying my client did.

“The link between anything negligent by Mr. Fisher and Mr. Rogers’ death is broken by time and distance. Mr. Fisher didn’t buy the alcohol, he wasn’t so out of it that he didn’t try to help. He didn’t know Mr. Rogers would wander off. Because of those reasons you need to find him not guilty.”

In Mundy’s closing arguments he recalls one witness who testified that she asked Fisher what he thought would happen when Rogers woke up from where Fisher left him. “Do you remember that question?” Mundy asked the jury. “What was the response? He didn’t know if Mr. Rogers would wake up. Why would the defendant say he didn’t think he would wake up if he wasn’t beat up pretty bad?”

Mundy points to the fact that Fisher had multiple opportunities to stop at safe locations to drop off Rogers or to stop and call authorities and let them know where Rogers was after he was dropped off.

“If he had taken Rogers to the church he told his parents to meet him at, Rogers would be alive today,” he said. “His sole cause of death was exposure. By his own admission, who left Rogers out there in the cold and drove away? If he hadn’t been left out there at the river, he would probably still be alive.

“The state is asking you to find him guilty, not of intentionally killing him, but guilty of the involuntary killing.”

Jurors deliberated for an hour and a half Thursday afternoon and did not reach a verdict. Deliberations will resume Friday morning at 9:30 a.m.

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120517/ARTICLES/120519777/0/news?template=printart

Fisher found guilty of involuntary manslaughter


Shielded by his supporters Scott Fisher, right, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter, enters the Henderson County Courthouse on Friday morning.Mike Dirks/Times-News

By John Harbin & Mark Schulman Times-News staff writer
Published: Friday, May 18, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 2:31 p.m.

A jury found the man charged with involuntary manslaughter guilty in the death of a teen found in a field two years ago. He was sentenced to a minimum of 19 months and a maximum of 23 months.

Closing arguments wrapped up Thursday afternoon in the trial of Scott Fisher, who testified earlier in the day that he had fought with the victim, Michael Rogers, at a party before he died, but that Rogers seemed OK when Fisher and his friends dropped Rogers off at a boat ramp.

Fisher also said Rogers, 16, was “intoxicated” and “being very wild” at the party Fisher hosted at his parents' house the night of Feb. 20, 2010.

Fisher said things calmed down after the fight and that he and his friends were giving Rogers a ride to Rosman when Rogers asked to get out of the car at the boat ramp.

Police found Rogers' body at about 5:30 a.m. in a pig field off of Grove Bridge Road. An autopsy showed that the 16-year-old died from hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Fisher, now 21, was arrested and charged in January 2011.

During closing arguments in Henderson County Superior Court, defense attorney Mack McKeller said prosecutors didn't show any evidence linking Fisher to Rogers' death in the field where he was found.

Assistant District Attorney Doug Mundy told jurors that witnesses testified that Fisher told them he took Rogers out in the middle of nowhere to beat him up.

Fisher testifies

Thursday afternoon, Fisher told the court that he threw a party at his parents' house on Feb. 20, 2010 and that there was alcohol and marijuana. Fisher said his parents were out of town when about 10 people arrived at the house, including Rogers.

This was the first time Fisher met Rogers, and the defendant said the newcomer “was very intoxicated.” A toxicology report from Rogers' autopsy showed the teen had a blood alcohol level of 0.15, which is almost double the legal limit of .08.

“He was being very wild, showing out, running around and getting into people's faces,” Fisher said.

Fisher, who said he had about 10 shots of vodka and smoked marijuana that night, said Rogers was hitting on the girls at the party. He approached Rogers and “asked him to calm down a little bit.”

Shortly after that, Rogers started a fight with one of the party-goers and Fisher said he broke it up. Fisher told the jury he helped clean blood off of Rogers' lip and nose and asked him to sleep it off.

About 20 minutes later, Rogers came into the kitchen where people were taking shots of alcohol and said he called the police, according to Fisher. Fisher said he got upset because he was on probation for felony marijuana possession, and drinking underage would be a violation.

That's when Rogers spit in Fisher's face and a fight ensued, Fisher said. He knocked Rogers to the ground and punched him in the face about three times.

After the fight, Fisher said he wanted to end the party, so he went outside, where Fisher said Rogers tried to cause another altercation. Rogers took off his shirt and started beating his chest, Fisher said.

Things calmed down a bit and Fisher offered Rogers a ride to Rosman. The two of them, another male and two girls got into a Volkswagen and headed to the town. That was when Rogers got unruly again, Fisher testified. Rogers was in the backseat and Fisher was sitting in front of him in the passenger seat.

“He freaked out again and started beating me in the back of the head,” Fisher said.

Rogers wanted to get out of the car, so the group dropped him off at the boat ramp near King Road and U.S. 64.

It was a cool night, he said, and there was plenty of lighting in the area. There were no further altercations after that, Fisher added. They left Rogers there and drove to a friend's house and continued to party.

Rogers was reported missing that night at about 11, according to authorities. Deputies searched for the teen throughout that night. The search led investigators to the area of Pleasant Grove and Grove Bridge roads because that's where Fisher indicated they had dropped off Rogers.

Closing arguments

In his closing arguments, McKeller told the jury that this is a sad case.

“It's sad anytime when children get off track and spend too much time partying,” he said. “When Michael Rogers arrived at Fisher's party, he was very inebriated and wanted to fight. We have an aggressive young man who is drunk and acting out.

“After they fought, Mr. Fisher took him back inside his house and cleaned him up and took him into a bedroom to sleep it off. About 20 minutes later Rogers comes back out and tell everyone he has called the police.”

McKeller told the jury that his client drove Fisher to a location, while he was being combative in the vehicle, and let him out of the car.

“He was left there,” McKeller said. “Mr. Rogers was dropped off at about 11:30 p.m. There is some question about what happened that caused Mr. Rogers to go from the boat ramp under the bridge where Mr. Fisher dropped him off and how he got to the field here he was found.

“The sole cause of Mr. Rogers' death was hypothermia. ... and the injuries he sustained weren't enough to cause his death. We still haven't figured out the act the state is saying my client did.

“The link between anything negligent by Mr. Fisher and Mr. Rogers' death is broken by time and distance. Mr. Fisher didn't buy the alcohol, he wasn't so out of it that he didn't try to help. He didn't know Mr. Rogers would wander off. Because of those reasons you need to find him not guilty.”

In Mundy's closing arguments he recalls one witness who testified that she asked Fisher what he thought would happen when Rogers woke up from where Fisher left him.

“Do you remember that question?” Mundy asked the jury. “What was the response? He didn't know if Mr. Rogers would wake up. Why would the defendant say he didn't think he would wake up if he wasn't beat up pretty bad?”

Mundy points to the fact that Fisher had multiple opportunities to stop at safe locations to drop off Rogers or to stop and call authorities and let them know where Rogers was after he was dropped off.

“If he had taken Rogers to the church he told his parents to meet him at, Rogers would be alive today,” he said. “His sole cause of death was exposure. By his own admission, who left Rogers out there in the cold and drove away? If he hadn't been left out there at the river, he would probably still be alive.

“The state is asking you to find him guilty, not of intentionally killing him, but guilty of the involuntary killing.”

Jurors deliberated for an hour and a half Thursday afternoon and did not reach a verdict. Deliberations will resume Friday morning at 9:30 a.m.

Reach Schulman at 828-694-7890 or [email=mark.schulman@blueridgenow.com. Reach Harbin at 828-694-7881 or john.harbin@blueridgenow.com]mark.schulman@blueridgenow.com. Reach Harbin at 828-694-7881 or john.harbin@blueridgenow.com[/email].

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120518/ARTICLES/120519777

crap - sorry I didn't copy and paste that article correctly - can someone help?

and WTH???? He'll probably only serve about a year!!!

So_Cal wrote:crap - sorry I didn't copy and paste that article correctly - can someone help?

and WTH???? He'll probably only serve about a year!!!

Articles look fine to me So Co. I can't believe the short amount of time Fisher got. What a sham. He had no regard for that boy's life. Unbelievable.